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UML's Suter making name for himself

LOWELL -- He comes from a well-known Wisconsin hockey family that churns out high-quality defensemen like so many farming families in America's Dairyland churn out high-quality cheese.

And maybe Jake Suter doesn't possess the offensive skills that his father, uncle, and cousins have. But, hey, give him a break. He's only been a defenseman for four years.

Yet Suter is solid enough to anchor UMass Lowell's defense, helping backstop the River Hawks to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 16 years as a freshman last season.

Suter's dad, Gary, was a high-scoring defenseman at the University of Wisconsin who played 17 years in the NHL, amassing 203 goals and 845 points in 1,145 games.

UML defenseman Jake Suter

Gary Suter had three 20-goal campaigns and a 91-point season for the Calgary Flames in 1987-88.

His uncle Bob, also a high-scoring defenseman at UW, was a member of the "miracle" 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team that stunned the Russians and won the improbable gold medal that galvanized a nation. Uncle Bob netted seven goals and 18 points in 38 games for the Olympic team but played only one year of minor-league hockey after that, collecting 12 goals.

"He's a humble guy and never really talks about it," Jake said of his uncle. "I've seen (the medal) a couple of times, but he never shows it off. It's a pretty cool thing to see, though, knowing all the history behind it.

"I knew about it, of course," added Jake, who wasn't born until 10 years after the incredible event.

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"But seeing the movie 'Miracle' when it came out (in 2004) made me realize how big it really was."

One of Suter's cousins, Ryan, another UW alumnus, played the last seven seasons for the Nashville Predators, netting 38 goals and 238 points in 542 games.

Another cousin, Jeremy Dehner, was an All-Hockey East defender for UMass Lowell from 2006-10 and is tied for third on the school's all-time scoring list for Division I defensemen with 79 points. He is currently playing pro hockey in Finland.

Jake had grown up hanging around NHL locker rooms with his father, who played in the NHL until Jake was 12, and picked up a lot from some of the world's best players. But for most of his own young hockey life, Jake broke the family mold by playing forward. Not until he was 18 years old did he make the transition to the Suter family trade.

"I wasn't a good enough skater to play defense when I first started," Suter reminisced. "I wanted to play forward and score all the goals. But as I got older, I became more of a defensive forward.

"My senior year of high school I was playing midget hockey for the Madison Capitals, my dad was one of the coaches, and we only had five 'D' on the team," Suter continued. "I said I'd help out by trying to play 'D,' and it worked out really good. I got a lot of offers to play juniors from that."

He had a lot to learn about playing the position in a short period of time. Fortunately, he knew where to go for the best advice and tips.

"My dad, my uncle and cousins, whenever I needed advice or help, I had a lot of good resources," he said.

Suter played junior hockey for the North American League's Owatonna Express in 2009-10, netting seven goals and 30 points in 57 games. He moved up to the high-powered U.S. Hockey League with the Sioux City Musketeers the next winter and was chosen as the team's Defenseman of the Year despite scoring just one goal and seven points in 55 games.

In spite of his stellar defensive reputation and family connections, Division I college hockey programs were looking for more offensive punch from the position than it seemed Suter was capable of providing, so he went unrecruited until Norm Bazin was hired as UMass Lowell's new coach in late April of 2011.

"I'm not a flashy player, so I don't stick out," he said. "I'm not a high-scoring guy, so that worked against me."

Most of the River Hawks' recruiting had been done by then, and Bazin had only four slots available to be filled. He filled one of them with the 6-0, 200-pound Suter.

"I was about to go play Division 3 hockey when Norm and Coach (Cam) Ellsworth and Coach (Jason) Lammers got the jobs here," Suter recalled. "Coach Ellsworth was one of my assistant coaches in juniors, and he kind of knew me.

"I signed really late, but it couldn't have worked out better. I love it here."

Although Suter didn't score a goal and garnered only three assists as a freshman, he was a stalwart on defense for the River Hawks as they soared from five victories the year before he got here to 24.

Bazin has made it a priority to recruit defensemen with strong offensive skills. But it's always comforting to know there's at least one defenseman on the team who won't get caught up ice after a turnover.

"I try to focus on being as good as I can defensively, and I try and jump up in the offense," Suter said of his stay-at-home reputation. "But not to where it takes away from my defensive game. I worry about my own zone first."

The sophomore Suter finally scored his first collegiate goal in his 51st game recently, a 5-0 UML triumph over 18th-ranked Harvard.

"I didn't even know it went in until (fellow defenseman) Joe Houk raised his stick," Suter recalled with a smile. "I didn't know what to do except raise my arms and let everyone tackle me. It was fun."

Who knows? With his bloodlines and a little more experience as a defenseman, Jake Suter just might score a few more goals before his hockey career is over.

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